Middle Earth Tour Day 23: Even more kiwis and museums

Middle Earth Tour Day 23: Even more kiwis and museums

Today was going to be an easier day as we were going to a local museum in Whangarei though they now call themselves Kiwi North with the kiwi house, museum and heritage stuff. We had bypassed this place several times since I had been to Whangarei though it was time to head there and see what it actually was like. I wasn’t sure if it would be anything like Dargaville museum at all or something different. The day looked to be a very warm one and I was looking forward to being out in the warmth. The museum was the only plan for the day that I did have so it could have been a short day out and about.

Once we got to the museum itself I wasn’t sure what to expect and there was the short drive that got us there pretty quickly. The grounds were actually really quiet and not many people were there. The day before the grounds had been packed with people when we went past. When we entered the reception area that included the kiwi enclosure the lady was giving several people a lecture about the kiwi itself before they all went into the dark to have a look. I was able to pay as a student though the lady thought I was from the UK when I said I was from UNE in New England. Still we were able to get in cheaper and we headed into the dark room to see the kiwi. There were two of them and we later found that they only let several together if they are a bonded pair as they are usually on their own. If they are not bonded then they will fight to the death plus the birds don’t breed until they are around 4 years old. I at least got to hear one make their call and so i could remember them if I hear one in the bush. They will be released into the wild once they have matured. Its to guarantee their survival from the predators like stoats and possums. There were lizards on the other side and they were being watered so that they can have a drink. The green native lizards have bright tongues and they recognised their keeper as they wanted to be fed. I did see people walking out though not sure if they understood there was more to see. The lady at the reception had told us that they had 17 christmas parties booked until Christmas and the crowd the day before were all from child care groups. I was thinking how lucky we were not to be there.

The next area we went to visit was the museum though they are still working on the building so sometime in the future you will be able to enter from the inside instead of going around to the back of the building. The museum was not really that big at all and really one big room. The top floor had a little display about the wearable art I had seen in Wellington though it is now in Auckland museum. The main part of the museum was about the local area including the WW1 aspect to the region, the findings of the remains of the Moa and what they were doing about the preservation. They talked about the areas the remains had been found and also about the supposed sightings over the years from people that was pointed out to be like that of seeing UFOs. The displays did talk about life in the early days of Whangarei including the Northern Wars with Hone Heke. I never knew the Germans had mined the Hauraki Gulf during WWII which is nearby. That was a surprise as you do not hear about things like that. There was plenty of information about the Maori including about the formation of the Maori Battalion during WW1 and their actions at Gallipoli that won them respect. I did find a little bit about the tattooing especially when one section had to be done at a time due to swelling.

Once we had finished the museum the last bit was to wander around the various buildings that was part of the heritage grounds. Some were actually closed to the public so you couldn’t enter them. Many of the buildings that are part of local heritage had been moved to the Kiwi North location though some of the buildings could also have been there also. At this stage in the day there were still not that many people wandering about. The Riponui Pah School building seemed to move around the area as it was once a class then a library and then moved to its current location to teach kids about what schools used to be like. The model railway seems to be a thing that goes all the way around the park, but only open at certain times. The other buildings there are the old womens jail, which is two cells, replica blacksmiths shop, Oruaiti chapel, New Zealands smallest Church, The Clark Homestead called Glorat built in 1886. Glorat was interesting as they are not restoring the building, but showing people what the original wall paper was like as many people lived there for years and the ceilings were very high too. The Jane Mander study tower as she was once a journalist for the local paper. The rest of the grounds seemed to be dedicated to the different clubs and only one was really open and that was a pair of guys repairing the old tractors. One older bloke was hard to understand, but once he got going with talking to us he soon spoke clearly especially about the temperamental tractors that you had to crank and about some happenings of the past in the local area. Once we both realised we were hungry it was time to leave though I wanted to see one more thing and that was supposedly an old headstone though knowing the area I am not sure if the grave was really a grave or a headstone had been moved there.

We headed back home for lunch and a rest though I would soon go out for a wander. My walk took me to the gold club and to one side of the gate was a track that I had a quick look at and found to be nothing, but a place for water to run off. Since the local shops were close I went looking at the prices and found milk to be a touch expensive and some other interesting products. I wandered back after my little look around the Tikipunga area though I could have spelt it wrong and went down a street thinking I had gone too far, but actually ended p in the right area. When I got back I found we had some visitors who were family members from down south who are dairy farmers. It was good to see them and we chatted for a little bit before going. Tomorrow is my last day in Whangarei before heading back to the city of Auckland where I will fly out later in the week.